TEFF PANCAKES WITH MATCHA-LIME YOGHURT

Teff is completely new grain in my kitchen and it is still not very popular in the region, but I suppose it’s going to boom very soon as quinoa a few years ago, which were also unknown on the market, but has such a spread use nowadays. I have brought it from London and realized how useful it is for baking, especially if you want to vary your plant-based baking recipes. It’s comparable to buckwheat groats I believe due to it’s nutrition and gluten-free profile and especially thickening effect, which is very valuable for vegan recipes, especially for people with gluten intolerance.

The most common use of teff is making bread from it’s flour, but it can basically be used in the same way as any other cereal grain. In Ethiopian cuisine, traditional flatbread injera is made from teff and the majority of large dishes are served on this bread.

I have found it great for flatbreads, pancakes and tarts, as well as simply porridge is very delicious.

Teff is an ancient crop and was likely domesticated more than 6,000 years ago in Ethiopia, which is the major centre of the plant’s diversity. The name teff is thought to originate from the Amharic word teffa, which means “lost” and likely refers to the minute seeds. Teff seeds are among the smallest of all cereal grains, usually measuring less than 1 mm in diameter. Teff is a labour-intensive crop and requires significant soil preparation to ensure even sowing and proper seed depth. Additionally, harvesting, threshing, and winnowing are often done by hand, and the tiny seeds are tedious to handle and transport without loss.

Teff contains a wide range of minerals and nutrients, but in terms of calcium, it is truly impressive. Just one serving of teff provides 123mg of calcium, which is more than any other grain and about as much as a cup of spinach. Teff is rich in vitamin B6, manganese. Teff also contains 20% of your daily iron needs and 25% of your daily magnesium requirements. It is rich in protein with well-balanced composition of amino acid and, in fact, has more protein than quinoa, with 14g in 100g of uncooked product.

If you wish to know more about the grain, here is very interesting and detailed article on The Guardian.

! For more servings multiply the ingredients by the number of portions.

INGREDIENTS/yoghurt

Silken tofu – 40 g

Coconut milk – 40 g

Lime juice – 2 tsp

Matcha – 1/2 tsp

Agave syrup – 1/2 tsp

! For making yoghurt use silken tofu and coconut milk (±18 g of fat) in proportion 50/50. Yoghurt fermentation process is described step by step here.

COOKING PROCESS

Mix teff flour with almond flour in a bowl. Mash in ripe banana with a fork.

Add water or nut milk, and whisk all together. Add some more water if the consistency is too sticky.

Add baking powder, almond essence and salt, and whisk all together again.

Grease your pan with coconut oil and bake a small pancakes using 1 tbsp of dough for each.

To prepare yoghurt please follow the instruction. Consider to start making yoghurt one day before the pancakes, if you wish to go through the fermentation process. When the yoghurt is fermented, add all the additives to the yoghurt and mix until smooth.

Serve pancakes with matcha-lime yoghurt on aside. Decorate it with nut butter and berries on top. I like to add something crunchy as well, for example, cacao nibs, nuts or hemp seeds.